We received inquiries about a picture collage, which is currently being shared as a status post on Facebook.

It's about dogs that are said to be abused by fishermen as live bait. The pictures show a variety of dogs and also a cat. Many of them were pierced with fishhooks:

image

Image in plain text:

DIT DOEN FRANSE EILANDERS, MEXICAANSE EN AMERIKAANSE VISSERS
HONDEN AS LEVEND PROOI

We received inquiries about this topic as early as 2013

And unfortunately it is NOT FAKE .

The incidents were documented in 2003 and became public in the media in 2005. pressetext and n-tv, among others, reported on this cruel practice.

Despite everything, this is not an official fishing method. At least the French government spoke out against it. Our colleagues at Snopes asked the French Embassy in Washington DC in more detail and received a detailed answer on this topic:

Thank you for writing to us about your concerns. We also condemn the barbaric practices you speak of. Such acts are obviously illegal and will not be tolerated on French soil. But while we share your disgust, we want to emphasize that the practice of using live dogs or cats as shark bait was in fact exceptional and isolated cases. It was never widespread or traditional, but was practiced by ruthless individuals and has been strictly forbidden for decades now. Television reports that first caused an uproar when they were broadcast in France and abroad in 2005 were filmed in 2003 on the discovery of a mutilated dog. In the last few months, the media has given much coverage to two similar events (one of which soon turned out to be a false alarm). But can we conclude from these heinous events that there is an ongoing tradition of barbarism on Reunion Island? La Réunion, a French territory and a European region, follows the laws and regulations of the French Republic and European Union. It respects the rules of the law and does not practice inhumane ancestral practices. The facts that led to your complaint are the actions of a few individual, irresponsible parties who are being investigated and held accountable by the police. The island's authorities are keeping a close eye on the situation; one person is in custody and appeared in court on Friday, September 30, 2005 . Any suspicion of such acts will be investigated and animal welfare organizations with any further information are encouraged to inform French police authorities.

Fully aware of the media and public outrage over this issue, French Agriculture and Fisheries Minister Dominique Bussereau has written to the French National Assembly to emphasize that various measures have been taken to strengthen existing laws. Veterinarians have been ordered to immediately report any suspicious injuries to authorities and police will increase their checks on fishing and pleasure vessels. Meanwhile, a sterilization campaign launched in 2001 to reduce the number of stray dogs and cats on the island continues. Animal rights are an important issue in France: over half of French households have at least one pet, and France has some of the strictest animal rights laws in the world. French law ensures the prosecution of those who are cruel to animals. Willful cruelty to animals is punishable by a prison sentence of two years and a fine of 30,000 euros (equivalent to approximately $36,000).
*Editor’s translation

Result:

Yes, there were incidents in the period 2003-2005 in which at least one person ended up in court.


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Notes:
1) This content reflects the current state of affairs at the time of publication. The reproduction of individual images, screenshots, embeds or video sequences serves to discuss the topic. 2) Individual contributions were created through the use of machine assistance and were carefully checked by the Mimikama editorial team before publication. ( Reason )